Here's a fun video and tutorial from Jazmin Cano, a User Engagement Manager at High Fidelity, which addresses a major problem with virtual reality that's little addressed by the virtual reality industry in general: The deep lines created by wearing an HMD for extended periods, i.e. "VR Face". Jazmin's solution: Apply blush and other make-up so that the red lines look more like a healthy sun-dappled glow.
"I do this no matter what HMD I'm going to wear," Jazmin tells me. That's because it's a universal problem for VR: "I've worn PSVR, Vive, and Oculus and get a similar result on my face. Redness on top of my cheeks and around my eyes."
As you might guess, her makeup tip varies based on user skin tone:
"I have warm undertones and light-medium combination skin. It should work for people with similar complexions. For people who have different skin types and tones, they'll have to experiment with what works well for them."
Her tutorial is intended for established, regular VR users, as opposed to people casually trying out a VR demo:
"I don't think the redness is a big issue at all for someone looking at this technology with curiosity," as she puts it. "The redness and lines seems to be an issue for those who already use VR. It seems to be a common worry when it comes to those who care about how they look after."
That last point is well taken: A lot of the most dedicated VR users are in the entertainment/media industry, where there's far more of a premium on personal appearance than, frankly, in Silicon Valley. (Most of the content creation-focused VR companies in California seem to be based in stylish Los Angeles, as opposed to the shlumpier Bay Area.) And if VR is ever going to be mass market, the industry will need to devote far more attention to how their wearable products make their consumers look, after wearing them.
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